"Blaziken, I'm counting on you." Under the envious gazes of the crowd, Ryoko sent out the third of her Hoenn starter Pokémon.
And it seemed Norman had no intention of letting Vigoroth continue battling either. Even though Vigoroth still had a sliver of stamina left and could theoretically unleash one last high-powered Reversal…
This kind of trump card drew from a Pokémon's long-term reserves. Overusing it would cause deep, irreversible damage. Norman almost never used it in regular battles.
Two beams of red light flashed across the field. Blaziken and Slaking appeared simultaneously.
The final showdown had officially begun.
"Blaziken, Sky Uppercut!"
Once again, Ryoko went on the offensive first. But as she looked at the unflinching Norman and the unmoving Slaking, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu…
Thud… Thud… Thud…
Slaking was struck head-on by the fierce Blaziken, stumbling back three heavy steps; each one sending a jolt through the hearts of the spectators.
"Slaking, Giga Impact!"
"SLAA~KIIING~"
With a thunderous roar, Slaking suddenly exploded into motion with terrifying speed, charging straight toward Blaziken.
"Blaziken, Protect!"
Duang!
A spiraling shield of violet and gold energy wrapped around the burly Slaking, while a translucent green Protect barrier shimmered in front of Blaziken.
At the point where both energy "shields" collided, visible sparks burst outward as friction crackled, testament to the sheer force of the collision.
CRAAACK~
A sharp shatter echoed from the battlefield. Under the stunned gaze of the crowd, Blaziken's Protect barrier rapidly fractured and vanished.
The supposedly impenetrable Protect had just been shattered by Slaking in a single blow…
"Blaziken, fall back!"
Ryoko didn't even need to call out, Blaziken had already sensed something was wrong. It immediately disengaged Protect and kicked off hard with its powerful legs.
BOOOM!
Slaking was even faster. It had seemingly predicted the retreat and put in a final burst of strength at just the right moment.
With a shrill cry, Blaziken was sent flying, crashing hard to the ground right in front of Ryoko.
Fortunately, Slaking's Truant ability meant it couldn't follow up with consecutive attacks, giving Blaziken a moment to recover.
"B-Blaaazi!"
Blaziken let out a strained shout and slowly climbed back to its feet. Flames burst from its wrists once again; its fighting spirit reignited.
"Blaziken, don't be afraid! Aim carefully at Slaking and use High Jump Kick!" Ryoko once again ordered a strong offensive.
Several people in the crowd frowned subtly.
'Still hasn't escaped Norman's rhythm,' Sato thought to himself.
She had just adapted to Vigoroth's relentless assaults, only to get slammed again by Slaking's overwhelming power. Without realizing it, Ryoko had grown anxious and lost her composure.
Otherwise, there's no way she would have gone for another direct assault with Blaziken.
Slaking's strengths and weaknesses were equally well-known. The best tactic against it was to play the long game.
Trading blows head-on was the worst possible choice.
Bang!
High Jump Kick landed clean on the sluggish Slaking. The sheer force of the hit knocked it flat to the ground.
But Slaking quickly stood back up, rubbing the wound on its stomach. Its eyes still looked lazy, as if it hadn't been injured at all.
"Blaziken, retreat and use Fire Blast!" Ryoko knew Slaking was about to strike again, so she reluctantly took a step back.
"Slaking, Giga Impact!"
Same move.
Same terrifying power.
Giga Impact tore straight through Fire Blast and shattered it, then slammed toward Blaziken.
'No matter how many tricks you use… I only need one.'
Bang!
Blaziken was once again blasted through the air, crashing to the ground without moving again.
"Blaziken is unable to battle. Slaking wins! Therefore, the winner of this Gym Challenge is Gym Leader Norman!" the referee announced loudly and proudly.
Clap clap clap clap…
Thunderous applause erupted from all directions.
Norman gently patted his old partner Slaking on the shoulder. It was applause that belonged to both Trainer and Pokémon.
Most of the crowd had no idea how much effort Norman had put into helping Slaking overcome its innate laziness.
Ryoko recalled Blaziken back into its Poké Ball. 'Poor thing… it had suffered defeat twice in a short span of time.'
Still, the outcome of this match had been decided long ago. Otherwise, why would the League go through all the trouble of hosting a match and building a Gym if it was all just a joke?
The Pokémon League sends a Gym Inspector during the Opening Ceremony of a Gym not to tear it down, but to officially declare to Trainers that the Gym has been established and recognized.
That said, this battle was also completely legitimate. Norman's "Gym leadership and teaching philosophy" had been fully displayed, and that was enough.
The intense 3v3 battle had pushed the clock straight to noon, and the Petalburg Gym's opening ceremony was now nearly finished.
Guests invited by Norman to the opening ceremony were led to the inner hall.
Trainers who wished to challenge the Gym could also register directly with the staff. Formal challenges would begin tomorrow morning.
As for everyone else… well, they were free to go. The show was over; time to head home for lunch.
Sato and his two companions were naturally invited into the inner hall. As soon as they entered, quite a few people turned to look curiously.
There weren't many people inside. Aside from those who had attended the ribbon-cutting, there were only three or four other Pokémon Trainers around Norman's age, likely good friends from his travels.
"Sato, lil bro~ Over here!"
Phoebe called out loudly, even adding "lil bro" at the end, which made Sato twitch with a full-body cringe.
They'd only nodded to each other briefly during the Young Elite Tournament and maybe handed off a mission once after that. Since when were they close enough for that nickname?
But truthfully, Phoebe and Steven were the only ones in the hall that Sato recognized… and they happened to be standing together.
Sato didn't hesitate. He led Joseph and Mark over.
"Oooh? Your little ghostie has gotten a lot stronger, hasn't it? Not bad, not bad!" Phoebe suddenly stared at Sato's shadow for a moment, then chuckled playfully.
Sato froze. He suddenly remembered the rumors about Phoebe, how she was born with the ability to communicate with Ghost-type Pokémon and had an extraordinary sense for them.
"I heard from Ryoko earlier, you beat her Blaziken. We should battle sometime," Steven said, helping Sato deflect the moment and taking the opportunity to issue another challenge.
"No problem. It won't be easy for you to win this time!" Sato answered confidently.
Compared to Sharpedo, his Mega Evolved Houndoom was even more powerful… and its typing countered Steven's perfectly.